Hi,

I'm interested in making artistic videos with an analog feel.
To that end, I'm attempting to build a digital-to-analog conversion stream and analog video capture system using my old MacBook Pro 8,2 (2.2GHz Intel Core i7).

Ideally, I would like to downconvert digitally acquired footage to an analog signal, somewhere in the neighborhood of s-video quality. Then, I would like to add analog mixer effects and titles if and when desired and ultimately capture the footage back to a high-quality digital format for non-linear editing, perhaps some color correction and eventual sharing. The absurdity of the pursuit is not lost on me. But it's art, and probably best naive in its pursuit.

I have a device to perform the signal conversion as well as means to acceptably resize and deal with differing aspect ratios.

What I have yet to determine, and what I would appreciate the help of this forum with, is how best to capture the analog footage.

So far, I have captured composite video directly from RCA cables. I've also captured composite video after recording it to standard VHS tape.
The differences are slight, but I prefer the capture I get after the signal has been put to tape, which I'm sure has much to do with the specific gear in my chain.
This aside, I would like a little more sharpness and resolution. I'm not aiming for a smeary, glitch-filled VHS look but something nearer to the optimum quality of what NTSC broadcast used to be.

Thus, I've begun to explore S-VHS player/recorders. I even briefly considered Beta SP as my recording format, but I fear it may come with too many hurdles and headaches (Please correct me if I'm wrong?).

I've read plenty about the absolute necessity of built-in line TBC and standalone frame TBC when it comes to S-VHS capture.
Does this advice apply equally to footage that is starting out digital and being acquired, converted and captured all in short order? In other words, my tapes have potential for some quality control and they won't be alternately baking and freezing in an attic for 20 years. But at the same time I don't suspect anyone is currently manufacturing blank S-VHS tapes either...so any "new" blank tapes I obtain will be no spring chickens either. So, is the typically suggested dual TBC setup still equally crucial? Would love some thoughts on this.

I've also noticed most video capture buffs eschew broadcast quality decks—even the non-editing, playback and recording ones—for a few prized consumer models. Wishful thinking perhaps, but is my peculiar use case (making new recordings and immediately capturing them) a rare exception which might actually be best served by a broadcast deck, provided it's in good condition?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to weigh in with any additional thoughts or suggestions. I have plenty more questions, but I feel like this is a great starting point to get me on the right track. Forums like this one have proved invaluable to me recently and I sincerely appreciate it.


Best,